Baseball Winter Meetings Trade Show (1 of 3)

2014 Baseball Winter Meetings Trade Show

One of the highlights of the annual Baseball Winter Meetings in the Baseball Trade Show, at which vendors from several verticals pitch their product or service to baseball club representatives.What follows is a little “tour” of the 2014 Trade Show, held in San Diego, CA December 8-11.This is the 1st of 3 decks. See more at www.dsmsports.net.

@njh287; www.dsmsports.net

http://www.dsmsports.net/

2014 Baseball Winter Meetings Trade ShowThere were 23 “new products” at this year's Trade Show, ranging from ticket and POS solutions to baseball practice tools, novelty items, and more. You'll see some in the slides to follow.

The amount of promotional items and ticketing solutions stood out the most.



All the big-name brands were there, including Under Armour, which had more apparel than equipment on-site and was trying to woo a lot of minor league clubs on their products.



There were a few apparel vendors focusing mainly on sales and production of caps/hats. The quality of the product, speed of manufacturing, and inventory management were the main factors pitched as differentiators.


2014 Baseball Winter Meetings Trade ShowEverything in a sports venue can be branded and personalized! And this vendor featured trash receptacles, bar tables, and more to outfit a venue with such customized items, brandished with team and/or sponsor logos.



While print is dying with the growth of digital and mobile, this company wants to help teams turn their print publications into masterpieces with these creative, custom covers for books and other team or sport publications. A very specific space, but some neat designs!



There were 2-3 apparel companies focused primarily on team uniforms in the minor leagues. It appears, for now, there is still good competition for these smaller clubs (as opposed to their MLB parents, where major deals reign).



There was certainly no shortage of novelty promotional items vendors on-site and each differed in their sales pitch, sales materials, and presentation. This display here, showcasing cups and helmets, was one of the more underwhelming at the show.



This vendor, FanZones.com, specialized in jersey personalization, particularly inventory management and e-commerce (including using mobile on-site). Several pro clubs, many in the NHL, use them to digitize their team stores and offer in-game jersey customization, among other features.



Colorful displays were prominent throughout the show as apparel producers tried to capture the attention of the buyers at the Trade Show and engage them in conversation to outfit teams and stores with their merchandise offerings.



This was actually one of two exhibitors on-site showcasing sports team promotional items, specifically for pets. Sports licensing knows no bounds and the pets category is the next avenue being traversed.



Another use of licenses and logos and custom merchandise for teams, here is a company that showcased bags and totes of several varieties adorned with team and/or sponsor marks.



A lot of exhibitors tried to earn reputability by promoting themselves as “preferred vendors.” I am not sure how one attains such a billing nor how much buyers value it, but it was certainly notable at a handful of Trade Show booths.



While the majority of exhibitors were not related to on-field health and performance, this product seeks to mimic the effect of icing one's head through their proprietary technology and head covering. I did not trial it, myself!



Not much to say, here; just a vendor promoting branded clothes hangers. As I said, everything can have a sports team logo affixed to it for sale to fans.



A pretty cool piece of technology to enhance practice by launching baseballs for defensive practice, controlled by software. While these kinds of products got a lot of looks, most clubs can't afford to budget for it.



Baseball players don't need to be ripped and in tip-top shape, right? Well, this exhibitor wants ballplayers to monitor their body composition with a body analyzer. Not exactly amenable to a diet of ballpark concessions; the norm for a lot of Trade Show attendees.



Fireworks displays are even more popular in MiLB than MLB and this exhibitor offered pyrotechnics solutions of many types. Clubs said these displays are a great way to draw in casual fans for entertainment and get sponsors involved.



Success Promotions, whose booth is shown here, offered visitors a look at all of their products with a couple of tablets on-hand showing their digital catalog of products. A good idea not every booth utilized.



While Aramark, Levy, and Centerplate dominate major pro sports venues, there were a few smaller concessions and concessions supply businesses there. Many of these functioned more like co-ops, using the scale of clientele to gain preferred rates from vendors.



Already with a strong presence at sports and entertainment venues, dippin' dots was on-site (with free samples!) to further penetrate ballparks, especially in the hotter and more humid climates of the minor leagues, where the frozen treat is a perfect companion.

They had some competition on-site, however...(slide to come later)



Whether it's padding for a wall, a foul pole, fence, or anything under the sun, this was the only booth pitching primarily padding for sports venues, where pads came customized with team and/or sponsor logos. A niche, but necessary market.



While companies like Sports Digita are growing with their sites and digital products for teams' sales departments (tickets and partnerships), this booth services the continued need (for now) for physical booklets for tickets, sales materials, coupons, and more.



Teams need nice lockers and these guys can provide it. But which sports fan wouldn't want one of these, brandished with their name and favorite team, in their room at home? Now that is a way to get ready for work every day!



They were the one of a couple of booths dedicated to netting at the Trade Show. If nothing else, the show illustrated that there are so many products and services required in sports and businesses around to serve these niche needs.



Stadium One was one of a few software-based venue management and analysis systems. Their solution sought to allow for inventory management, sales trends, revenue analysis, and other infrastructure data points. This one did not incorporate ticket sales, just merchandise and concessions purchased at venues.



There were a lot of big name brands with fancy metal bats, but it wouldn't be a Baseball Trade Show without some wooden bats like these from Old Hickory!



InGate was one of a few ticket companies, all of which made sure to note they produced “thermal tickets.” Nothing too much to differentiate, here, besides price point, presentation, and style.


2014 Baseball Winter Meetings Trade ShowWhile hibu, a digital marketing agency specializing in website development and consulting, works with several small businesses in several industries, they were looking to break into baseball at this year's Trade Show.


2014 Baseball Winter Meetings Trade ShowBurger Dog was trying to find its way into minor league ballpark concessions and make other connections. What is it?Hot dog stuffed with ground beef and cheddar cheese (a jalapeno cheese version is in the works).


Taste? Different and pretty good


XPogo was certainly eye-catching, featuring performers that did tricks and a show on pogo sticks. Coming soon to a minor league ballpark entertainment near you?



One of two batting tees showcased at the Trade Show, this tee sought to make it easy to adjust the ball placement to make hitting practice quicker and easier.



You have to hand it to these guys selling scorebooks for teams to sell at their venues. Good to see old-school scorekeeping isn't totally dead (yet).



There were a handful of seat manufacturers, pitching differentiating factors from easy logo switching to luxury/comfort. There was a lack of seating innovation, in regards to technology and connectivity and app integration, in my opinion.



Another entry in the 'every service needs a provider' category at the Trade Show – this company can outfit your venue with bathroom stalls...that go all the way to the floor, lending that little extra bit of privacy.



The main benefit of these compression sleeves seemed to just be superior sun protection, but the styles were sure eye-catching. These are called “Sleefs.”



Baseball players and teams travel quite a bit during the season...and this booth had “the most versatile pillow” around. It looked comfortable, at least.



This community website wants to help teams and baseball enthusiasts all around the country unite online, play games, form leagues, and more. Certainly a need for this kind of do-it-yourself web service and this organization seemed to have modest success getting active users on board.



While teams can produce their own ballpark video tours with rudimentary video and editing knowledge, this company took it to a highly premium level with a produced, enhanced “virtual tour.”



For ballplayers and teams in search of superior sock science; especially helpful for teams accustomed to playing in sometimes muddy terrain.



This is not a duplicate of a previous post, just another booth offering branded furniture for your venue. They pitch their superlative craftwork and custom design capabilities.



A second batting tee both much different from the other. Instead of a single adjustable tee, this sold more so as a set with different tee sizes, adjustable to a degree.



And here it is, the dippin' dots competitor: Mini Melts. The distinguishing factor is it has more buttercream/fat than dippin' dots so offers a creamier, richer flavor. They are in some sports venues and theme parks with hopes to expand there, as well as to shopping malls and movie theaters.



I was delighted to see an Oyo Sports booth after reading about this company in the past and their rising success manufacturing sports-playing toy figures, making the most of their licensing deals.



This exhibitor, Foam Work, specialized in branded foam items, including the timeless foam fingers. A fun niche certainly seen often at sports venues and merchandise stores.



Another vendor assuring your pet can have a collar, food dish, etc. bearing your favorite team's name and logo.



Here is another seating company, this one offering an array of options, able to showcase team and/or sponsor logos, as seen in the photo.



An apparel company that had 'retro' style applied to clothing with sports team names and logos on them. A nice selection on hand at the Trade Show.



The branded item vendors each showcase different specialties, including cups and insulated thermoses, bearing team marks.



Micros, a system from Oracle, was one of the bigger players there for point-of-sale services. They had one of their touch pads running the software on-site for demos, as well. A solid, reputable name looking for new growth streams.



This is the end of deck 1 (of 3) for your tour of the 2014 Baseball Trade Show at the Winter Meetings. For decks 2 and 3, visit www.dsmsports.net


http://www.dsmsports.net/